Bucs' Sanders SoCon coach of the year

JOHNSON CITY — He began his first season with his team picked to finish eighth in the nine-team Southern Conference. Instead, it finished tied for first, and now he’s winning awards.

Randy Sanders, whose East Tennessee State football team is preparing for the playoffs, was named the SoCon’s coach of the year on Tuesday.

Twelve ETSU players claimed SoCon honors, including seven as first-team members of the two all-conference teams picked by the league’s coaches and media.

Center Matt Pyke won the Jacobs Blocking Award, which goes to the league’s top lineman, and running back Quay Holmes was the freshman of the year.

Under Sanders, hired last December to replace Carl Torbush, the fourth-year program finished the regular season 8-3. The 6-2 record in conference games gave the 22nd-ranked Bucs a share of the SoCon championship along with Wofford and Furman.

Sanders was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award as coach of the year on Monday.

More good news for Sanders is that he still gets to coach this week. While most of the 125 Football Championship Subdivision teams are putting away their shoulder pads and helmets, ETSU is one of 24 getting ready for the playoffs.

The Bucs hit the road Saturday for a first-round game at Ohio Valley Conference champion Jacksonville State in Alabama. The game will be carried by ESPN3 beginning at 7:30 p.m.

Pyke, who has started all 44 games of his career, was a first-team all-conference pick.

Holmes was also a first-team selection at running back and second-team pick at kick returner, where he averaged 29.1 yards per attempt.

Holmes has scored 15 of ETSU’s 33 touchdowns this season. He has more than 1,300 all-purpose yards, including 820 rushing yards on 187 carries with 13 touchdowns. He is also tied as the team’s leading receiver with 32 receptions for 242 yards and two scores.

Also making first-team All-SoCon were safety Tyree Robinson, defensive end Nasir Player, linebackers Dylan Weigel and Jared Folks, and cornerback Jeremy Lewis. Lewis was on the media team and Folks was on the coaches’ team.

Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges, who broke the FCS career passing record in a 38-27 victory over ETSU, was the offensive player of the year. Chattanooga defensive lineman Isaiah Mack won the award as the top defensive player.